This text covers topics such as sinkhole formation and regional studies of sinkholes and karst. Issues addressed are taken from the 8th multidiscilinary conference on this subject and chart the characteristics of sinkholes and karst as well as their environmental repercussions.

This book sheds new light on contaminant transport in karst aquifers and the public health implications of contaminated karst groundwater. The papers included were presented at a conference held in early 2016 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and range from lengthy reviews on contaminant transport mechanisms to short articles summarizing research findings. The conference addressed a variety of topics, such as contamination sources, the hydrogeology of contaminant transport, the storage and release of contaminants, and the health impacts as well as the epidemiology of contaminated water supplies drawn from karst aquifers, and gathered perspectives from experts in different disciplines, including hydrogeologists and public health specialists. Although there is a wealth of literature on specific instances of karst groundwater contamination, this book offers an integrated conceptual framework for the public health impacts of karst groundwater, making it a valuable resource for a broad interdisciplinary readership.

Focusing specifically on the management of karst environments, this volume draws together the world’s leading karst experts to provide a vital source for the study and management of this unique physical setting. Although karst landscapes cover 12% of the Earth’s terrain and provide 25% of the world’s drinking water, the resource management of karst environments has only previously received indirect attention. Through a comprehensive approach, Karst Management focuses on engineering issues associated with surface karst such as quarries, dams, and agriculture, subsurface topics such as the management of groundwater, show caves, cave biota, and geo-archaeology projects. Chapters that focus on karst as an integrated system look at IUCN World Heritage sites, national parks, policy and regulation, measuring systematic disturbance, information management, and public environmental education. The text incorporates the most up-to-date research from leading karst scientists. This volume provides important perspectives for university students, educators, geoengineers, resource managers, and planners who are interested in or work with this unique physical landscape.